.Having heard so much about welfare being a dirty word in Singapore, I began to worry incessantly about welfare destroying our nation and the numerous citizens from welfare states who will be clamoring to become citizens of Singapore because their countries are ravaged by welfare..Although nobody has debated how much welfare should be given to Singaporeans who cannot afford the basic necessities, our esteemed PAP leaders are quite certain that any amount will bankrupt us and that really got me worried. We must resist every effort to give out social welfare. .One thing I want to clarify is that the PM said WELFARE is a dirty word not WELFARE STATE. A welfare state gives out substantial amounts in welfare.... many countries give out some amount welfare but are not considered welfare states. .Worried about the future of Singapore and the evils of welfare, I did some research and found out Singapore has nothing to worry about!! Our PAP govt has long ensured that welfare will not destroy us, the PAP has defeated the evils of welfare. Singapore has the lowest, yes lowest, welfare spending among East Asian economies.

We have the highest income inequality among countries compared based on the GINI index.

A combination of low welfare and high income inequality...what a wonderful system we have in place that is worth preserving..Besides protecting us from the evils of welfare, the PAP is also doing a fine job of protecting us from the evils of western style democracy - jailing Chee Soon Juan can only enhance our reputation as an orderly country that has no disruptive activities such as unlicensed public speaking and protests..Singaporeans are so lucky to enjoy so much protection that the PAP govt provides, with the evils of welfare and western style democracy kept in check, the PAP govt can proceed to increase GST, reduce corporate taxes and make Singapore even more competitive in this globalised world. How do you feel being part of all this? ....

What kind of government this? Their skin have to be damn thick to call themselves 1st world government. They are worst than some 3rd world countries. Even Indonesia & Phillipines don't jail opposition members in this day and age.

The PAP is not a government for the people. It is a government enslaving the people.

Even if welfarism is an acceptable concept here, it may still not be practicable.

Our expansionary plans are labor intensive and can ill afford a diminishing workforce to retire.

Mid and lower tier jobs are especially needed to support key industries.

Or, from another perspective, you are needed to sustain the elitist's jobs and the elitist's system of sucking wealth from the bottom up.

In the process, an elderly cleaner was highlighted as a role model of industriousness.(ST)

Retirement frightens her. So she said:

"How am i to spend all those empty hours at home?"

"idleness can kill the human spirit"

Well, it simply means people like her don't have a life apart from menial work. It means they have, in most instances, been reduced to a mind-numbing machine to keep the economy chugging along.

It is people like the elderly cleaner that makes possible for the rich tai tais to be out of work and IDLING themselves in charitable organisations, community work, social events, meaningful hobbies, holidays, shopping, teas with friends etc etc

Their no plans to retire is in effect a NO LIFE option or a life that has been taken away from them!

But such are the pride of our system.

For without them, there shall be no wealthy tai tais for us to aspire to!

Are the treasures of iniquities still in the HOUSE of the wicked, and the short measure that is hateful? Shall I count those with the wicked scales pure, and those with the bag of deceitful weights? For its RICH MEN are FULL of VIOLENCE, and its people have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth. Therefore I also have made you sick by striking you, laying you waste because of your iniquities. You shall eat, but not be satisfied; and your casting down shall be in your midst. And you shall take hold, but shall not deliver; and that which you deliver I will give up to the sword. You shall sow, but you shall not reap; you shall tread the olives, but you shall not anoint yourself with oil; and sweet wine, but shall not drink wine.For all the works of the house, and you WALK in their COUNSELS, so that I should make you a ruin and its people a HISSING; therefore you shall bear the shame of My people.

The elderly cleaner and MM Lee are both strong examples of industriousness. One earns a million a month, the other is entitled to workfare. If the cleaner decides not to work, welfare, that vulgar word sets in. She must work or else shame sets in. Is this the much touted Swiss standard of living? The CPF system that was supposed to save all workers in the 70's 80's. There are many who fell though the gap unfortunately, and I for one look to the PAP package with abated breathe. I pray it is a long term solution and not a hotch potch patch up job until the next election. Sad man

Thank you Mr. Tan for your approach to understanding life in Singapore! Your eloquent explanations really go very far to enlighten the many that have taken courses in Sarcasm 101 and can see the true picture. You are a blessing to all Singaporeans abroad, like me!

i thinketh the garbagemen must thinketh not that good men can be bought with money.in fact, good men knows if we keep chasing talents with money, sooner or later, garbaggemen may have to sell their wives and children for rubbish! so goodmen want to save marriages and children of the world and not sell their souls to the highest bidders.

so that let me to conclude, no wonder there is so much rubbish around!

so i suggested the solution that to find good people, one must first look at his tables manners. does he or she enjoy eating king's delicacies?

second test, when he or she see someone jump in front of mrt track, does the person pull out mobile phone, shoot video and send it to stomp?

third test, most critical. after visit public toilet, does the person help flush toilet or leave smelly toilet to cleaner to do the job!?!

How do I feel living in this tinyisland with all the top brains of people who know only how to score A's on a piece of paper?

I feel like a drunkard, numb in the skull, out-of-balance, can't even walk straight, can't even find his way home, and most important of all, I feel like an idiot, an oxymoron, an extremely dead-brained nincompoop.

After all, to profit, your income must be higher than your expenses. So, by cutting cost in welfare and all the other ways, but increasing taxes, they are gauranteed profit.

As an extra bonus, instead of the people fighting the politicians because the people have so much money and are comfortable, the PAP makes it so that the people fight their own neighbours for money/jobs/success/survival. If the PAP also throw in the strict restrictions on fighting the political system (making it impossible to win..ask any opposition person being sued) then it is highly unlikely that the people will turn to fight the political system since all their energy is being put towards fighting their neighbour.

After all, a kitten on their own can not take down a lion, and a kitten fighting thousands of other kittens has even less strength to fight the lion. HOWEVER, it is a pity that all the kittens together dont realize that if they joined together, they could take down the lion.

The PAP seem to have mixed Economics Ph.D with Art of War. Lee obviously knows his stuff.

Over the years on and off a few kittens would try to join together to go against the lion, only to be labeled as trouble-maker, political gangster\hooligans and the lion would claim how these problematic kittens would only do the little red dot in if they are ever allowed to gain any more support from other kittens and convince them to follow their way. And the sad thing is that the majority of the kittens actually believe the lion and the lion’s 146th spokesperson.

my heart goes out to the untiring leaders traveling around the globe trading. it must be such a huge sacrifice to wine and dine whilst wheeling and dealing with head of states and garmen officials.

it must be tough raising the standard of living by selling the people lifestyle products and services that most can ill afford.

but worries not, lets not forget the hordes of potential wealthy foreign spenders attracted to all the lovely money created. they will come and bless the people by buying up properties, goods and services and all shall live happily ever after.

it must be hard to make the rich richer at the expense of the poor working like dogs unable to retire at the end of the day.

they must find it hard to sleep in the night when casino doors will soon open for business and the people will have to lose money before given the opportunity to strike it rich.

they must find it hard to go to sunday services when clubs here are flourishing like wild mushrooms for the young and old farts to have more nightly excitment and accidental "procreative fun".

sob....must be tough living it up in super scale high standard of living created by the best with tax payers money.

yea,by the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered......

Seriously, I think Singapore should be thankful that it is not a welfare state. Think about this, one works hard for their money, and then get taxed at 40%, with the taxes going to pay for some bum doing nothing everyday. Where is the logic?

All that should be done is that of making people work for what they are worth! People arrive at where they are today as a result of their own hard work, or lack thereof. The world is an unfair place, PERIOD.